Book Review: It Happened One Summer and Hook, Line & Sinker

Hey guys! I’m a little behind with my book reviews. I’ll be posting a bunch in the next few days to get ready for my 2022 book round-up! Today we are throwing it back to the summer with the Bellinger Sisters duology. These books are great so let’s get into it!

It Happened One Summer

I read It Happened One Summer back in July when I was in Vancouver! This book follows Piper, a rich socialite who gets a reality check when her stepfather ships her off to a small fishing town in Washington. There Piper meets Brendan, who finds her insufferable but also can’t deny his attraction. This is an adult romance novel.

I loved this novel. I didn’t think I would like Piper but her character development meant that I loved her by the end of the novel. And Brendan… I think my feelings for him can be summed up by the heart-eyes emoji 😍. While I’m not usually a fan of character-driven novels, I appreciate that the plot was always moving and never dull.

This book was very predictable. If that bothers you then you won’t like this book. But I wanted everything that I predicted to happen so I was happy. I heard this was a spicy novel and people weren’t kidding. I had to use my best poker face while reading this book on the airplane.

Overall I loved this book and was excited for the sequel as well. I gave this book 5/5 stars and would recommend the book to anyone who wants a fun and spicy summer read.

Hook, Line and Sinker

The sequel Hook, Line and Sinker follows Piper’s sister Hannah and Brendan’s right-hand man Fox. While Piper and Brendan were enemies-to-lovers, Hannah and Fox are more friends-to-lovers. Fox has a reputation as being a player but Hannah is fine with that because they’re just friends. This book is also an adult romance.

I didn’t like this book as much as the first but I think that’s due to personal preference and not because it’s a bad book. I like Hannah but I didn’t like Fox as much. The amount of miscommunication is insane and it was antagonizing to read at times. Hannah has more patience than I do. This book was also more slow-burn than the first (which I don’t like as much).

I felt like the character development arc was done well and was rewarding to read. I enjoyed the epilogue as it included a look into Hannah & Fox and Piper & Brendan’s future lives.

Overall I like the book and thought it was a good conclusion to the sisters’ lives, but I didn’t like it as much as the first. I gave it 4/5 stars.

I think both of these books were fun to read and would recommend them to anyone looking for a spicy and summery romance read. If you read these books let me know your thoughts in the comments. And if you have any recommendations for me leave them as well because I’m always on the lookout for new books!

xoxo

Lea